On Thursday, March 16th, TCA President G. Lincoln
McCurdy attended Turkish
Philanthropy Funds’ (TPF) 10th
Anniversary Reception and Dinner in New York. TPF presented its first ever
‘Philanthropist of the Year Award’ to the eminent Turkish industrialist and
businessman Rahmi Koc.

On
Friday, March 17th, TCA President G. Lincoln McCurdy attended the awards ceremony
in New York for TURKOFAMERICA
Magazine’s top '40 under 40' most influential Turkish Americans in the U.S.
At the awards ceremony, McCurdy had the honor of presenting an award to Ceylan
Ecer, an art advisor and dealer in Brooklyn. Ecer was one of the first participants in
TCA’s Washington Summer Internship Program on Capitol Hill in 2007. In recent
years, she has purchased artwork for names such as Leonardo di Caprio,
baseball player Alexander Rodriguez, and Monica Bellucci.

During the meetings,
both sides emphasized the importance of the bilateral relationship and their
desire to continue working together. Discussion also focused on the
upcoming referendum in Turkey, the fight against ISIS, the Syrian civil war and
refugee problem, Turkey’s concern about the PYD in Syria, PKK terrorism, the
Turkish American community and developments in the U.S.-Turkey relationship
under the Trump Administration.

On March 8th, representatives from the Turkish
American, Syrian American, and Macedonian American communities participated in
a joint meeting with Congressional Turkey Caucus and House
Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep.
Brendan Boyle (D-PA/13th) at TCA. The
discussion focused on U.S. foreign policy towards
Turkey, Macedonia, Syria, and the surrounding regions.

On
March 8th, TCA helped facilitate a video conference call between
members of the Turkish American Cultural Society of Colorado (TACSCO)
and Congressional Turkey Caucus and House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO/6th)
to discuss U.S.-Turkey relations, Turkey’s role in Syria, and other issues
important to the Turkish American community in Colorado. Rep. Coffman
participated in the video conference call from his office in Washington with
TACSCO member Dr. Erdal Ozkan, whereas six members of TACSCO took part in the
video call from the congressman’s district office in Aurora, Colorado. TCA
President G. Lincoln McCurdy and TCA Project Coordinator Sezan McDaniel also
took part in the call from the Washington office.